the prince and the peasant | skephalo | DISCONTINUED

leisurely stroll

I got too caught up in my thoughts and way too fixated on the cracks of the sidewalk. There were no shadows on them seeing as how sunless the day was. Because of this, there was no warning before bumping into them, someone who I thought to be a stranger.

"Oh my goodness!" I blurt, shocked. "I'm so sorry!" My apologies come out almost immediately. Embarrassed, I can't bring myself to look up at this 'stranger'.

They take some time to respond. We're they mad? Mute? No.

"Darryl?"

They were Zak.

The voice causes my ears to lose some sense of hearing. My eyes refocus to meet his, he seemed to be in one sort of disguise. His eyes covered. Glasses? His hair seemed to be hidden under a hat. Even when it remained unseen, you could tell it was styled to be seen as more ruffled and messy. His outfit seemed off too. Not the usual arrangement of outfits I memorized from his closet. It was more casual than what I've seen. Something Vincent would wear.

It'd be dumb to call out his name, especially out in the public on a quiet day. Though the name was quite common, his name would only draw attention in a town that was rumored to be often visited by him. So, I do what's most logical. Call him by the nickname I had given him all those days ago.

"Skeppy?"

His hands revert to the pockets of his pants, his eyes rejecting the stare we shared for moments. He looked tired, like he was talking a break from something. "What brings you to this part of town?"

Why was Zak talking like this? This felt unusual. Maybe he was trying to camouflage our words to something more basic. Any sound would stand out in such silence.

A thought tugged at my brain.

This.

This was way too cliché.

Bumping into each other, hiding his identity - our relationship. It bothered me. This isn't some rom-com. This is real life. I knew I should've played along, but the feeling of thinking of this as some movie degraded our relationship. People tend to discredit my intelligence. I take this to advantage. Use your obliviousness to get what you want.

"What do you mean? I live here, silly. What brings you here?"

Quickly, he turns his head in both directions, making sure no one noticed. Clicking his tongue, he gets closer, looping his arm around mine and pulling me to walk with him. It caused a bigger scene but it was unpredictable so I'll give it that.

"What are you doing? You're supposed to play along," he whisper-shouts, his breath clouding the air in our path.

"Hm? Play along with what? Answer the question, what are you doing here?"

His sigh is heavy, grabbing me closer to the point where just barely - our chests brush. The heavy feelings Zak gave me mixed well with the breeze that aired against my cheeks. A balance. My fingertips grew numb, but that didn't matter since the rapid beating from my heart was all that gained control. A sharp turn around a building's corner makes me laugh. The reason why was unknown.

Behind the building was a pasture of dully colored grasses and ferns. In the distance, there seemed to be a chapel. Empty, no life insight. I share a look with Zak. His eyes widened at the look. I giggle, knowing well we both shared the thought to explore.

Our arms untangle, his hand taking grab of my hand instead. We've moved on from the usual wrist taking and evolved to holding hands. I'm not sure what Zak saw it as. Platonic or not, we both agreed it didn't need to be said what it meant.